Yesterday, February 2, 2015, the president released the fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget which continues to demonstrate his strong commitment to age-appropriate, medically accurate, and proven-effective adolescent sexual health promotion programs.

The president’s FY 2016 budget request proposes increased investment in both the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI) and the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH). The $4 million requested increase for TPPI is critical as partners across the country develop their grant applications for the evidence-based or innovative approaches to teen pregnancy prevention. The requested $6 million increase for DASH, meanwhile, represents the first budget authority increase proposed in the president’s budget since FY 2013, and reflects the administration’s interest in improving school-based HIV prevention efforts. In addition, the budget calls for a five-year reauthorization of the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) at the continued funding level of $75 million per year.

Similar to last year’s budget, the president’s FY 2016 budget request is free of funding for harmful abstinence-only-until-marriage (AOUM) programs and does not include funding for the Competitive Abstinence Education (CAE) grant program or the continuation of the Title V “Abstinence Education” program. This represents a savings of up to $55 million in FY 2016. Additional information on the funding requests is included below.

The release of the president’s budget begins the months-long negotiations process in Congress, who ultimately determines the final budget and funding allocations for the year. SIECUS applauds the administration’s commitment to improving the sexual health and well-being of all young people and looks forward to working with Congress to continue these investments.

For questions or more information, please contact Jesseca Boyer at jboyer@siecus.org or 202-265-2405.

The President’s FY 2016 Budget Request Includes:

TPPI: $105 million, a $4 million increase over FY 2015 final funding.

TPPI Evaluation: $6.8 million for evaluation funding, level-funding to FY 2015 final funding.

DASH: $37 million, a $6 million increase over FY 2015 final funding.

PREP: Five-year continuation of the program for FY 2016–2020 at $75 million per year, the same funding authorization level as FY 2015, but would ensure program sustainability for five years beyond the current one year extension.

Title V AOUM Program: No future funding allocation beyond current authorization to expire September 30, 2015.

CAE Grant Program: Eliminates funding for the program, a $5 million savings from FY 2015 funding.